Guards make sure it will all be perfect on the day

It will be a very British occasion. And with less than 24 hours to go until the Queen Mother's funeral no part of the ceremony - which will be beamed around the world - is being left to chance.

Today as crowds looked on, members of the Honour Guard rehearsed their role carrying the coffin the short distance from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.

For a week now, arms linked and holding the correct formation, they have been drilling the precision routines 12 hours a day. Guardsman Gavin O'Neill, 26, admitted he is getting tired and his shoulder is numb - but there is tremendous pride.

He will be on the left at the front for the occasion. The lead-lined coffin's 32-stone weight will be spread evenly among eight men, but the task is still formidable.

His party carried the coffin on Friday, when it was taken from St James's Palace to Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state. "We didn't make any mistakes and I was really very chuffed about that," he said.

As they emerged into bright sunlight, "a million cameras went off - it was breathtaking," he said. "We were nervous at first but then we settled into it."

The squad from the Irish Guards travelled over from Germany a week ago and on arrival in London it was straight into rehearsing and drilling from 7am to 7pm every day.

"We will do the job well tomorrow, the way you would expect the Irish Guards to do it," said Guardsman O'Neill. Capt Fabian Roberts, 29, in charge of the bearer party, said: "Our intention is to give this final service to Queen Elizabeth. It is our chance to give something back to her. There is absolute determination to get it right."

It has been a day of reverence and expectation for those waiting outside the Abbey and the thousands in the extraordinary queues which have formed for the fourth day to file past the coffin.

A 20-strong group have claimed the prime positions to view events at the Abbey tomorrow. Veterans of major royal occasions are wrapped in tin foil, have sleeping bags and tents.

Others were less prepared. Bill Mitchell, 61, of Bethnal Green, began his vigil opposite the Abbey last night wearing only a dark suit. As temperatures fell, the former civil servant borrowed a tent and kept warm with a paper sack he found by the roadside. "I have rung my wife and asked her to bring more clothes," he said.

Margaret Mallorie, 70, claimed a prime spot after travelling from Wetherby in Yorkshire. "My family think I am mad but I felt I had to be here," she said. Vicky Maidment, 34, of Harlow, was ringing her children's schools to explain why they are absent. "They insisted on coming," she said. "They know how important this is."

Almost 160,000 people are believed to have filed past the coffin. Among them today was Angela Dawson, 35, carrying a pomeranian dog decked out in a Union flag cravat. Ms Dawson, from Ipswich, said she brought the dog because she thought the Queen Mother would approve. "She had a terrific sense of humour," she said. Estefano Varea, 55, a fish merchant from Bideford in Devon, left his home at 10.30pm and arrived at Westminster Hall at 2.15am. He said: "It was worth it. My family came to this country as refugees from the Spanish Civil War when she was Queen. I wanted to show our thanks."

The Lockwood family drove through the night from Bridport, Dorset, and arrived in London at 3.30am. Cradling her 10-month-old daughter Jennie, Susie Lockwood said: "I wanted to create a connection between Jennie who was born last year and the Queen Mother, who was born in 1900. This will leave my children with a legacy of memories."

The queue increased dramatically as people stopped off on their way to work or arrived on the first trains in from outside London.

Patrick Blackman, 46, a builder from Southampton, said: "This gives me an opportunity unique to my generation." Brian Davidson, a civil servant, travelled from Norwich. "This is a way of showing what is good about us - the fact that we are prepared to queue for hours to pay our respects."

Oswaldo Muni, a student from King's Cross, said: "She was wicked, a lovely woman - she even did Ali G impersonations. How cool is that for a 101-year-old?"

Sgt Chris Fowles, in charge of crowd control on Lambeth Bridge, said: "I have not seen any trouble at all. It is a testament to their respect for the Queen Mother."